


A Little Game

by SingingInTheRaiin



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-31
Updated: 2019-03-31
Packaged: 2019-12-29 01:55:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,966
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18297923
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SingingInTheRaiin/pseuds/SingingInTheRaiin
Summary: Will is supposed to be catching Hannibal for Jack. But he doesn't really want to choose sides in this fight, and maybe he'll end up being the one caught by Hannibal instead.





	A Little Game

He had no intention of choosing sides until he was sure who was going to win. In the neverending game of Jack versus Hannibal, it seemed wisest to play on both teams, at least for now. At least until he could confidently choose the side that would be least likely to end up with him being dead.

Which is why he found himself sitting at Hannibal’s dinner table, complimenting what he knew without a doubt to be human meat, while Jack stayed late at the office, filled with frustration about having no actual evidence against Hannibal. He took another bite, letting out a delighted moan that was only slightly exaggerated. Many things could be said of Hannibal Lecter, but him being a bad cook was not one of them.

After they had both finished eating, Hannibal dabbed at the corners of his mouth with his napkin, and then looked over at Will curiously. “I must admit, I was surprised when you changed your mind about accepting my invitation. I had been under the impression that you wanted to keep your work life and private life separate?”

It wasn’t difficult to figure out where that idea had come from, since Will had literally said that to Hannibal as soon as the offer had been extended to him. He didn’t like the idea of coming into Hannibal’s house. It made him feel like he was walking right into a trap, and that would make him something of a fool. 

But Jack had all but begged for Will to do his best to get closer to Hannibal, to figure out how to get the man arrested with charges that would actually stick. Even when Will put all of his effort into that endeavor, he found it to be much more difficult than Jack had made it out to be. But most of the time he wasn’t putting all his effort in, because he wasn’t yet certain of whether or not Jack could actually win this game. And Will never bet on anything unless he was sure of the outcome.

He shrugged. “It occurred to me that it was rather rude to turn down your invitation in the first place. Well, that, and the fact that I’ve heard several rave reviews of your cooking, and I knew that I just had to try it for myself. Admittedly, I’m a pretty simple guy when it comes to cuisine, but even I can tell that you’ve got a real gift for this.”

Hannibal smiled at the praise. He was clearly a bit of a narcissist. “Ah, it is just a hobby, but I do enjoy feeding people,” _to other people_ Will finished in his head. “It is always a sign of being greatly appreciated to see someone so satisfied at the end of a meal.”

Will nodded. “Well I’m certainly satisfied, at least when it comes to food. I’m not sure I’ll be able to go back to microwave dinners without comparing them to this.” He gestured to his empty plate.

__

At the mention of microwave meals, Hannibal grimaced for just a moment. “I would like to believe that you are merely joking about such a matter, but I am afraid that I already know you well enough to not believe that.”

__

Will his his own grimace at the idea that Hannibal might actually know Will as well as he thought he did. They’d only been speaking to each other for a month or two now, at Jack’s behest. Sometimes, Will liked to think that Jack sent him a therapist he suspected of being a serial killer because he actually thought that the man would be good for Will’s mental health.

__

Not that anything about this situation seemed as though it would be any good for anybody’s mental health. It wasn’t exactly a normal situation, even for someone like Will who had experienced plenty of abnormalities throughout his life. “I don’t have much time for cooking,” he said unapologetically. “Unless you count making dog food, though I have the feeling that you don’t count that.”

__

“We are both getting to know each other so well,” Hannibal commented. “Perhaps we both find each other interesting after all?”

__

Will had to force himself not to clench his jaw. “Maybe,” he allowed. There was something interesting in a cannibalistic serial killer who sometimes copied other peoples’ murders, and sometimes followed his own design. Will had never before encountered a monster quite like Hannibal. But that didn’t mean that he was feeling brave enough to stick his hand into a lion’s open mouth. Not yet, anyways. “Maybe we’ll get to know each other even better over time.”

__

“I would like that, Will. Would you?”

__

He shrugged again. “I guess we’ll find out, won’t we?”

__

As Will left Hannibal’s house, after they’d both had a drink in the sitting room, he couldn’t help wondering what the hell he was getting himself into. He understood that sometimes it was necessary for police officers to go undercover for various reasons, but this wasn’t really like that. This was Will pretending to befriend a cannibal because his boss didn’t have enough evidence to get anyone else to believe his theory. It was clearly off the books that Will was doing this, because the psych eval papers Jack had shown him had certainly looked real enough.

__

He headed home, and was grateful to be surrounded by his pack when he got there. There was nothing overly complicated about a dog. They barked and licked at him when they were happy, and whined when they were hungry or upset. They never tried to use words and metaphors to dance around a conversation. They never said things they didn’t mean and hid what they did mean. It wasn’t all just some big theatrical show with his dogs. They were real and honest creatures, and Will appreciated that right now more than ever.

__

He sent a quick text to Jack to tell him that there were no new developments, and frowned at Jack’s frustrated response. Then he curled up beneath his blankets without even stripping out of his clothes first. He was just in the mood to get cozy and go to sleep and pretend he didn’t feel like he was being torn into a thousand directions at the same time. 

__

But sleep didn’t come to Will as easily as he wished that it would, and he was stuck lying in bed, staring up at the ceiling. A couple of the dogs circled around his bed uneasily, waiting for his permission to jump up and try to drive away whatever was plaguing him. But there were just some problems that couldn’t be fixed by the presence of a dog, as sad as it was to admit that.

__

Will hated all the bullshit metaphors and pretentious dialogue that came out of Hannibal’s mouth. But he couldn’t deny that there was something about the older man that sent shivers down his spine and made him think of so many possibilities. He was glad that he hadn’t gotten undressed yet, because that made it a lot easier to get into his car and just get going.

__

It was a long drive, especially after having already made the commute back and forth once today, but he suddenly felt like he wouldn’t be able to do anything else until he figured out how to deal with the conflicted feelings inside of him. 

__

He parked in Hannibal’s driveway, and then walked up and rang the doorbell. He knocked a few times for good measure, too, and then waited impatiently for Hannibal to come and answer the door. Will was well aware of the inappropriate hour, but he couldn’t wait until morning for this. 

__

Finally, the door swung open. And even though Hannibal was standing there in a bathrobe, he looked as put-together and sophisticated as ever, and Will hated the bastard for it. Will always looked like a hot mess even on the days when he didn’t just roll out of bed and head to work with a few cups of caffeine in his stomach.

__

Hannibal gave Will a look that was a mix of puzzlement and concern. “Will? Is everything alright?”

__

Will shook his head. “Not exactly. Jack Crawford suspects that you’re the Chesapeake Ripper, and he wanted me to be able to confirm it, and the moment I looked at you, I knew that he was right. I was supposed to be trying to get some kind of evidence from you for him, but it’s been difficult, to say the least.”

__

The look on Hannibal’s face was suddenly quite dangerous, and Will didn’t think that there was anyone in the world who would be able to laugh at a man in a bathrobe if that man was Hannibal Lecter in this moment. “Why would you tell me all this?” he asked in a soft voice.

__

Will didn’t think he’d be able to win in a physical fight, and he also knew that standing outside wasn’t going to protect him when it was the middle of the night and there were no neighbors around to be witnesses. But he still felt safer outside than trying to actually delve into the lion’s territory once again. “You’re stuck up and rude in underhanded ways, and you’re far too into yourself, and you have no regard for human life, and you have the absolute creepiest taste in dining room decor, and I hate all of that about you.” He paused to take in a breath, and then slowly let it out. He figured that it was a good sign that he was even still standing there, and hadn’t already been dragged inside to be killed and eaten. “But you’re also the only person who’s ever understood me as well as you do.” Before he could lose his nerve, he grabbed the front of Hannibal’s robe and yanked the man forward into a kiss.

__

For just a second, Hannibal didn’t seem into it, but then he suddenly surged forward, and it felt like he was completely invading Will’s everything. Several seconds after Will’s lungs started burning from the lack of oxygen, Hannibal yanked him inside, slammed the door shut, and then pressed Will up against the door. “You are quite the conundrum,” he murmured. “What am I to do with you after you were just so rude?”

__

Will gasped for breath. “I didn’t want to choose sides,” he said quietly. “But I’m pretty sure now that I know who’s going to win.”

__

“Oh? And why is that?”

__

“Because I’m here now,” Will said simply. “I didn’t see it before, but now I’m pretty sure that whoever has me is almost guaranteed to be the winner.”

__

Hannibal grinned widely, showing off his canines. “You’re thinking rather highly of yourself right now, aren’t you, Will?”

__

Will shrugged. “Maybe. Tell me I’m wrong, though, and I’ll call up Jack right now to confirm everything he thinks.”

__

“Oh I highly doubt you’ll have any time for phone calls,” Hannibal purred. “I’m quite sure that you’ll be far too occupied.”

__

Part of Will thought that this was a terrible idea, and that he was going to get himself killed. The more animal part of him congratulated him for getting such a strong mate who would be able to provide for him. “I’m looking forward to seeing what you can come up with for a distraction.”

__

As Hannibal moved in to kiss him some more, Will reached into his pocket to hit the hang up button on his phone. Hannibal hadn’t actually confessed anything incriminating, and besides that, Will decided that he’d prefer to wait and see. He still wasn’t quite sure who was going to win this game, but he was willing to make a bet on it.

__


End file.
